“I was trafficked in Jacksonville in the year 2013 for about nine months,” said Rosseland. “It’s definitely happening in Jacksonville. The Open Doors outreach network has gotten over 100 referrals in the last year-and-a-half of people who’ve been trafficked in Jacksonville.”

In the Florida Middle District, there were 18 criminal human trafficking cases actively working their way through federal court in 2018.

That’s a decrease from the 26 active cases in 2017.

“I think it’s important not to take trafficking, as a crime, lightly,” said Rosseland.

Action News Jax asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Florida Middle District why we’re seeing this decrease.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Affairs Officer William Daniels said the Florida Middle District indicted a significant number of trafficking cases in 2017.

Those cases often take more than two years to get through the court system, limiting resources for new cases.

Daniels also said current trends reflect local agencies arresting and prosecuting more human trafficking cases, allowing federal prosecutors to focus on larger crime rings.

At 5:30 on CBS47: Human trafficking cases initiated in fed court dropped 29% last yr. This survivor has a message for people who think it's not happening here: “I was trafficked in Jacksonville in the year 2013 for about nine months... It’s definitely happening in #Jacksonville." pic.twitter.com/ksMrzkcrGe

The Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center is at the helm of Florida’s new Open Doors Outreach Network; when a survivor is identified, they’re immediately paired with a survivor mentor, a regional advocate and a clinician.